The Unesco Courier (2023_2): Cafés: a rich blend of cultures (April-June 2023)

What is a café if not four walls and a roof impregnated with the aroma of roasting, along with a few cups, saucers, and small spoons lying around on a zinc counter or tabletop?

These “third places”, on the border between the public and the private spheres, provide vital breathing room in the urban frenzy. In contrast to the anonymity of large cities, they offer spaces of encounter and diversity, where time is less constrained and speech is freer. By encouraging debate and exchange, cafés contribute in their own way to the free flow of ideas and dialogue that UNESCO champions.